Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 August 1878 — INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS. [ARTICLE]

INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS.

• —A little hoy,. in Baltimore, was literally pinched to death by the mother of one of his playmates, with whom he had quarreled. She pinched his arm so terribly that the swellings reached the shoulder, and eventually caused the lad’s death. —A few days ago, a mule used for plow-work on the Connor place, one of the largest cotton plantations on the Brazos River, Tex., was bitten by a wolf. The latter animal acted very strangely at the time, coming in from tho prairie and attacking his muleship with his teeth, holding on till kicked loose. The wolf was rabid, as was subsequently shown by the mule being himself taken with unmistakable symptoms of hydrophobia. —While dressing to go to Wilkesbarre to witness a recent celebration, Rev. C. E. Fessenden, of Catawissa, dropped his penknife, with the blade open, into his boot. Being in somewhat of a hurry, he did not notioe where the knife fell, and when he pulled on hia boot felc something cutting him severely oh tho ball of the foot. It so happened that the knife fell with the handle to the heel and the point of the blade to the toe, and, something like old Jemima’s piaster, the more he pulled to get the boot off the more the knife cut. his foot. Finally the boot was removed and be was found to be very seriously injured. —Catawissa (Pa.) News Item. —A few days ago three boys, aged respectively eighteen, sixteen and twelve, slipped into the house of Mr. Stewing Jenkins, who lives on tho Talbotton road, and stole a watch and sonie other valuables. Mr. Jenkins tracked and overtook them in Hamilton. He recovered his property, but did not desire to put the rascals in Jail, so he told them that if they would whip each other he woula not prosecute them. This they agreed to do. They were taken out, stripped to the waist, and provided with stout hickory switches. One was tied to a tree, and the others laid on his back lustily with the switches until Mr. Jenkins expressed himself satisfied. The ceremony was gone through with each one. They were then dispersed with smarting backs and penitent hearts. They said that their mother worked in the mills here, and that their father was dead. —Talbotton ( Oa .) Times.

—We learn that near the plantation of Mr. Turner a most singular scene occurred —the charming of a thirteenfoot alligator by a rattlesnake. It appears that his snakeship first saw the ’gator, and beating the roll-call with his rattles, he attracted the latter’s attention. Then began the charming Erocess, which lasted fully half an our. Tho ’gator at lir3t turned his head twice or thrice, but was immediately called 10 order by the rattles of the snake. Toward the end of the half hour, with fixed eves, the alligator moved slowly toward his terrible enemy, until within striking distance, when the snake curled himself more compactly, and with all the strength he could muster struck the alligator. For a moment the alligator shook tremulously, and then as if by magic made a semi-circling backward movement peculiar to their ’gatorships and wrought his tail down upon the would-be assassin with a result fatal to the nerves of the rattler. Our informant then dispatched the ’gator, and found no trace of the snake’s strike —he had missed his mark. The snake measured six feet, and had nine rattles and one button. —Lake City (Fla.) Reporter.